Prestigious EU Appointment for Law School Professor

Thursday, 20 June 2013

Gerard Quinn, Professor at the School of Law at NUI Galway and Director of its Centre for Disability Law and Policy

Gerard Quinn, Professor at the School of Law at NUI Galway and Director of its Centre for Disability Law and Policy, has been appointed to the Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) which is headquartered in Vienna. The EU FRA is one of the specialised agencies of the EU which was set up in 2007 to provide expert advice to the EU and its Member States to ensure that the fundamental rights of people living in the EU are respected. It helps to inform EU law and policy and to ensure that its power is properly harnessed to respect fundamental rights.

The Scientific Committee oversees the quality of the research of the FRA across a broad range of topics (e.g. racism, the rights of older people, privacy, the quality of the democratic process, etc.). This June, Professor Quinn joins eleven other widely renowned experts from across Europe for a five year term.

Speaking on his appointment, Professor Quinn said: “Europe is at a historic turning point away from failed economic and social models. It has a chance to reinvent itself as a force for good in its own citizens’ lives and around the world. This turn is by no means assured. But bodies like the EU FRA are at the fore of helping to redefine the EU of the future. That's why I am involved.”

The Head of the School of Law at NUI Galway, Professor Donncha O’Connell, said: “I would like to warmly congratulate Professor Quinn on this prestigious international appointment. It speaks directly to his impressive track record as an engaged scholar animated by impact in the domain of public policy, something to which the School of Law at NUI Galway is deeply committed.”